Celebrate Black History Month in the DMV

Happy Black History Month!

Driving the news: The D.C. Council today will vote on its annual resolution to recognize February as Black History Month. 

• The resolution details some of the District’s major Black history makers, and acknowledges that Black people still face present-day injustices in the wake of the city’s “abhorrent history of slavery and racial segregation.”

The big picture: Chocolate City looks a lot different these days as the District’s Black population continues to decrease, and the city’s white population increases. 

• As gentrification, the high cost of living, access to transportation, and other factors drive marginalized groups farther away from the city, it’s more important than ever to honor their contributions and impact.

Here are a few ways to celebrate around the DMV:

📚 Learn the District’s Black history.

We’re eyeing these titles from local Black-owned bookstores:

• Washington, DC, Jazz: Learn about the contributions of local jazz musicians. 
• African Americans of Alexandria, Virginia: Beacons of Light in the Twentieth Century: Meet history makers from the historic city just south of D.C.
• Shaw, LeDroit Park and Bloomingdale in Washington, DC: An Oral History: View some of the District’s most gentrified areas through the eyes of Washingtonians who’ve watched the change firsthand. 

🧠 Test your Black History trivia knowledge.

• The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is holding weekly BHM trivia this month for teens. There are prizes!

🏛️ Take a trip to a Black history museum.

• The George And Georgianna Campbell Sandy Spring Slave Museum & African Art: Open in-person on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-5pm, and online for virtual events. 

• Alexandria Black History Museum: It’s closed for renovations, but still holding virtual events.
• The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington: It’s open on Thursdays from 3pm-6pm and Saturdays from 2pm-5pm.

💰 Make a donation to your favorite nonprofit that supports Black and marginalized communities.

• Mamatoto Village, an organization that supports Black women through perinatal care and careers, is fundraising for a new health clinic and training center in Ward 7.
• One DC, which works to create an equitable D.C., is raising money for renovations at its Black Workers and Wellness Center.